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Theologian Thursday: Saint Valentine

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It should come as no surprise that I chose to look at St. Valentine today. It is his feast day, after all.

The difficulty I found, however, was figuring out who exactly he is. The conflicting stories and accounts of St. Valentine--indeed, multiple St. Valentines, since it was quite a common name--are rivaled only by those surrounding St. Nicholas. And even then, most of the legends are talking about the same person.

Sidenote--isn't it interesting how the saints who have the most mainstream appeal and recognization are also the ones whose stories are so muddled? It's like a strange and unfortunate game of theological telephone. We'll see what I come up with for St. Patrick (spoiler alert: nothing to do with snakes).

Here's what we do know--Valentine was a Roman priest who was beheaded on February 14, 269. He is recorded in St. Gregory's sacramentary of martyrs and other martyrologies.

That's about it.

He is the Patron Saint of bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, plague, and travelers.

How Valentine's festival day became associated with love and romance is one of those weird, convoluted histories which you can never be quite sure of. Some sources say that he was an extraordinary lover of God and people, but honestly I don't expect anything less from a priest--especially a saint. Additionally, it seems there was a pagan ritual held in mid-February that included drawing of names and goddess worship having to do with Juno Februata. But even that is an uncertain legend and a tenuous link. Chaucer also had something to do with conflating St. Valentine and courtly love in Parlement of Foules, but it's unclear what led him to make that connection.

All this to say, this is another saint-related holiday in which the actual saint has hardly any relevance.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Lenten Ashes

Dust you are, and to dust you shall return.


Welcome to Lent, friends.

I hope you were able to receive the imposition of ashes today, or at least take time to reflect on our creaturely contingency.

What other Lenten practices do you plan to observe in the next forty days? I plan to do a lot of reading, mostly associated with the idea of Atheism for Lent, which requires us to take seriously some critiques written by Nietzsche, Freud, and others. I expect it will result in a unique perspective on Easter once we get there.

Are you giving up on something for Lent? Or adding a spiritual practice? Do share!

Transfiguration

Hi friends.

I totally dropped the ball on Theologian Thursday yesterday. I got swept up in the *omgmanhunt* news and then realized I should probably do some actual work and then never really got around to writing.

BUT.

I can totally make it up to you.

In honor of Transfiguration Sunday, I present to you this amazing .gif from this blog.


You're welcome.

All irreverence aside, though, Transfiguration Sunday is the climax of the season of Epiphany, and it really is kind of the ultimate epiphany--"This is my Son; listen to him!" It's revealed that Jesus is more than some guy from Nazareth. His life and message are worth listening to. So let's listen and watch attentively as we move toward Lent, which begins next Wednesday.

Beyoncé Bowl Round-Up



If you follow me on any social media platform or were anywhere near me IRL on Sunday, you probably heard me say something about Beyoncé that may have tended toward idolatry.

And for good reason!

Here is a round-up of articles that explain far better than I could why the performance (and Beyoncé as a person) is so wonderful.


A Defiant Dance of Power, Not Sex: Beyoncé, the Super Bowl and Durga by David Henson
In that moment, it seemed Beyoncé was dancing on the fresh graves of sexism, male supremacy, all her talking-head concern troll critics that sought to reduce her to anything other than the powerful woman and artist she is. She dared them to think of her as something less than beautiful, something less than talented, something less than powerful, something less than a woman.
What Beyonce’s Halftime Show Reveals About The Evangelical Love/Hate Relationship With Human Sexuality by Joy Bennett
Why are we more comfortable with displays of masculinity and sexuality than we are with displays of femininity and sexuality? Why do we not have a problem watching football with our kids, but we attack and belittle the halftime show. Why is female sexuality so offensive? Why is male sexuality NOT offensive?
Beyonce & Policing Female Sexuality by Suzannah Paul
Dancing or dressing a certain way--or simply existing in the world in a female body with breasts and feminine curves--does not turn a woman into a sexual object...Our bodies are part of our humanity, and our sexuality is, too. In creating people in the image dei and having Jesus live a fully embodied life, God affirmed the goodness in human bodies and humanity. Female bodies are not to be feared, hidden, or ashamed of--and it's not the place of Christians to cast shame upon them either.

Why Beyoncé is my kind of feminist by Emma Gannon
Maybe, just maybe, it’s OK to want to be attractive to men AND be considered a feminist....A woman’s own standard of how she wishes to look or conduct a relationship with a man or woman is a personal thing and should not pervert any definition of feminism.
Super Bowl XLVII: Why Beyoncé’s Appeal Crosses Gender Lines by Rachel Grate
And this is why Beyoncé’s music crosses gender lines: It asserts female power while proving female empowerment does not exclude men. This is what feminists have been trying to convince men of for ages – that we are not anti-men, we are pro-equality. Beyoncé is pro-equality and questions gender roles, and her spreading that message to the Super Bowl – to a space largely defined by those roles – is in many ways a feminist victory.

 What do you all think? Please tell me you are now all members in the Cult of Beyoncé.

Theologian Thursday: Eusebius (260-339)


As a lover of church history, I have found a soft spot in my heart for Eusebius, who was one of the first church historians, and followed the thought of Justin Martyr and Origen.

It's kind of funny to think of him being a church historian when he only lived in the third/fourth century. I mean, some of the more exciting drama (some post-Nicean controversies, and the councils of Constantinople and Chalcedon, not to mention anything in the middle ages) were just getting started or hadn't happened yet. But his work st the stage for  the keeping of records, without which the Christian tradition would be woefully paltry and this blog would not exist.

Eusebius was named the bishop of Caesarea in 313 after being imprisoned for a time during the persecutions, and was one of Constantine's top theological advisers. He was involved in the Council of Nicaea (with a slight Arian bent) in 325, and in 334 presided over a synod in which Athanasius was brought forth and accused of chopping the hand off a bishop (they brought the hand as evidence... but not the bishop. THIS IS REAL CHURCH HISTORY, PEOPLE).

Anyway, Eusebius's work has a lot to do with the canonization of books in the Bible. His relaying of the history of the documents and their use within the early church aided in the process of creating the canon we know today. In addition, he also talks about important figures in the early (eastern) church. His knowledge of the western church was lacking a bit, but you can't really blame him, because he didn't have an email account set up.

What you should read:
Ratings:
(To read more about my Theologian Rating System, click HERE) 
Gender Equality:
Although I imagine his respect for women was about on par with anyone else's in the patriarchal fourth century, he heaps praises on multiple women in his exposition of the martyrs, including Valentina, Theodosia, and others, calling them courageous, brave heroines.
Environmental Sensibility:
As usual, it's hard to say on this one. But I do find it interesting that just about every mention of "Creation" in his Church History is referring to the creation of humanity rather than creation or nature in general. I think that says something about where nature was on his priority list.
Heretical Tendencies: 
I had to give him two stars, just because of his (however slight) preference for Arian theology and its happenstance of falling on the losing side of history. Additionally, he studied from the personal library of Origen (who also turned out to be a heretic), which was maintained by his teacher, Pamphilus.
General Badassery: 
Like I said, I like this dude. Eusebius wrote a ton and was a  totally legit scholar. Those characteristics are pretty badass to me, but outside of that not much is known about his life, so there doesn't seem to be any crazy stories about him.

Finally, a long but lovely quote/prayer:

"May I be an enemy to no one and the friend of what abides eternally.
May I never quarrel with those nearest me, and be reconciled quickly if I should. 
May I never plot evil against others, and if anyone plot evil against me, 
may I escape unharmed and without the need to hurt anyone else.
May I love, seek and attain only what is good. 
May I desire happiness for all and harbor envy for none.
May I never find joy in the misfortune of one who has wronged me.
May I never wait for the rebuke of others, but always rebuke myself until I make reparation.
May I gain no victory that harms me or my opponent.
May I reconcile friends who are mad at each other.
May I, insofar as I can, give all necessary help to my friends and to all who are in need.
May I never fail a friend in trouble.
May I be able to soften the pain of the 
grief stricken and give them comforting words.
May I respect myself.
May I always maintain control of my emotions.
May I habituate myself to be gentle, and never angry with others because of circumstances.
May I never discuss the wicked or what they have done, but know good people and follow in their footsteps."